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If you call a business & can not be connected to a live person at that time, your number is recorded by their caller ID system and you are informed that sometime between 7-15 min.'s you will recieve a call back & thank you for your patience.
Now you can actually do something else besides make crude
comments into the phone or critique the quality of the on hold music. (Or worst thing of all, use the speaker phone in a busy office when on hold.)
Now the Customer service rep when they call you back doesn't have to deal with your ability to control your pent up frustration. It's a Win Win Situation, unless the actual plan was for the on holded caller to be angry in the first place.
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And the costs are on them. |
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What if one company using that system called another company using that system? Infinite loop. |
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Companies would love this. They just won't bother calling back. |
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What might end up happening is that you would get tired of waiting for temto call back, at which point you will call them back, only to be put back in the waiting line. I like the idea though, and would love it if it worked. |
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[0xdeadc0de] The infinite loop
could be avoided by requiring
something like "press pound to be
called back in approximately 7
minutes". It could even give you a
real approximation based on call
load at that time, and in the case
of 800 numbers this would save
them significant money. Excelent
idea, Zimmy. |
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if its my business they want +1 |
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Baked by bellsouth...since about 2003...I think it was calles "ringback" or something like that. You were given an option to be given a call back. It would automatically call you back and pass the call to an available rep |
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For an additional $1.25 or so. |
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I think this would be well worth the cost to implement. In my business, we'd like to input _the_ numbers to which we wished to return calls (current consumer list, most frequently called reviewers, etc.) and then the callback service would kick in. Random callers, telemarketers, lookie-loos, and expired accounts get the polite message and are never called. Harsh sounding I realize, but there are only so many hours in the day. |
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How funny - I had this idea just this weekend, while calling for roadside assistance from my mobile. I was annoyed at having to chew up money just to listen to hold music, and thought it would be good if they could queue you without needing you to be connected. |
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Instead of "on hold music", would some like the option to listen in on another line?
I don't like those menu driven services:
"Press 1 for customer services, 2 for balance, 3 for ...blah blah"
<Click> "1"
"Press 1 New customers, 2 for existing customers, 3 for ..blah blah.."
<Click> "2"
"Press 1 for Help with payment, 2 for help with application, 3 for ...blah blah"
<Click> "1"
"Press 1 for standing orders, 2 for direct debit, 3 for blah blah..."
<Click> "1"
"You are now on hold, a customer representative will attend to your call as soon as possible."
Wait....
Wait....
Wait....
Clicks"1"
Wait....
Clicks"2"
Wait....
Clicks"1,2"
Wait....
Furious Clicks "3,6,5,4,7,3,2"
Wait....
Finally: "Good morning Mr. Ling, how may I help you?"
"I don't know, I've forgotten". |
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"If you would like to speak to a customer service
representative, please press the numbers of the first
thrity digit prime in the decimal representation of pi." |
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The modern telephone. Don't ya just love it? |
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Does anyone round here get calls from weirdos who say they are from some kitchen service in India? I get them all the time, usually when I'm off school due to illness (like today), the problem is, they talk your ear off coz they think you're the householder (as if a 14 year old could actually own a house!), so what you tell them is that you're a squatter, and the real owner of the house lives somewhere far, far away, but the real owner would appreciate it if they fixed up the house for them... |
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This (Call Back Hold) actually happened to me about a month ago. I had to call Moen, the company who made the faucet that I had incorrectly hooked up, for some help. I think some sort of automated system gave me an option to be called back in 45 min's or would I rather hold. |
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Oh Yes! I thought. Please call me back. (I think I'll even vote for myself on this one, it felt pretty cool). |
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rrr: With 800 numbers, the costs are still on them. |
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Anyhow, this is a brilliant and simple idea. It's also been done (according to you), but it's intelligent enough that I'm giving you a croissant anyways :) |
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